Do you run with a water container during a marathon?

I'm not a fan of it because it weighs me down and it makes me feel slightly unbalanced, especially with those hand held bottles. I'm not a fan of those belt water bottle holders too due to the lack of comfort.

I think some people find it is easier to drink from a bottle than those half-filled wax paper cups. I've always relied on aid stations (only a couple of marathon finishes to my name though), but maybe next time I'll try to carry a bottle...it would be east to drink from and the gatorade could be diluted to the strength that I like hmmmm...

I often carry water because I don't like being uncomfortable in any way...including thirsty. Yes, you can hydrate with aid station water, but chances are you will not get thirsty exactly at the aid station. Plus, I'm a sipper and I don't like 'pounding' a water or slowing down at an aid station. For me, aid station water is for dumping on your head (don't mix it up with the Gatorade). Also, there are no aid stations on training runs, so carrying water is a pretty regular thing for me.

I don't hydrate on runs shorter than 15 miles [2:15] and during the Columbus half marathon last year I skipped all the water stops the 1st 5 1/2 miles. Then sipped 1/2 cup of water @ 5 stations just to keep my mouth moist. I was on the course for 1 hour, 36 minutes.

I've tried a couple water carrying methods on training runs, and I just hate it. I'll go through a lot of trouble to avoid carrying liquid - tanking up beforehand, driving and dropping bottles along the way, looping back to the car. I'll have to figure out something if I ever do an ultra.

A big marathon has so many stations that it's easy to grab a couple water cups or a water and a gatorade (i.e., dilutes it). If you're used to carrying it, then you might be more comfortable doing that in a big race. btw, in my limited big race experience, I skip the crowded first station and after that there was no problems at the later tables.

I'm a sweater! I like to have water on anything of 60 minutes. So- I carry a 12 oz' water bottle. I find it entertaining and play with it some. If I drop it, I don;t go back for it though,,,, ha- but I may pick it up on the return.

In a race, I find stopping and walking thru a water station here and there actually improves my performance. I can get a good gulp of water a gatoraide or whatever, do a quick squat or two, and take off refreshed.

I often carry a bottle of water or sports drink to the start to sip on prior to the race. I can then drink as I need in the early miles and skip the first couple of water stops that tend to be more crowded. When I finish the bottle or simply tire of carrying it, I discard the bottle at the next water stop or trash can. Saves the hassle of the early crowds but avoids the need to carry something for the whole race.

I bought one of the Nathan's handheld bottles a few months ago for an upcoming half but am not going to use it. I've found that as my conditioning has improved, I just don't have the urge to drink when I run. I consume a lot of water daily and at the time of the day I run, it's not too hot.

My first half marathon I didnt drink anything but it was 30 degrees out.

(I am not a warm weather person in the first place) It was upper 60s for my 6 mile run around central park yesterday and I was actually kind of thirsty after my run, I was extremely uncomfortable with the heat.

This will be my first summer running where my distances will be much greater than 2-3 miles/run so I am going to try out this camelbak delany on my training runs to see how I like it.

For races I probably wouldnt carry anything, I hate carrying things (there are plenty of water stations)

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"It comes out of your a--, it smells like poop, and it makes a little trimpet noise. You dont have to be smart to laugh at farts but you have to be stupid not to." - Louis CK,

Yes, I did for my first couple. It was sort of a crutch. I had a phobia of being without water when I needed it. I don't anymore. (I've run six marathons, most recently Boston, 3:20:59.) I'm still a relative marathoning newbie, but I know of folks who run with a 10-ounce bottle of water so they can avoid the first couple (crowded) water stations. Then they chuck it around Mile 6. That sounds like a good plan to me; I'm going to try that sometime.

1. I usually run with my dog (a shaggy black lab mix) and I worry about her overheating or not being able to find water on our route when she needs/wants it.

2. I tried the drive & drop method last summer and realized that it was counter productive for me. I would stop for way too long and by the time the marathon rolled around in October, I realized I couldnt go more than 4mi without stopping to stretch & drink, which slowed me down more than was probably strictly necessary at the race. It also turned into a psychological crutch: "All I have to do is run 4mi and then I can stop..."

This year, my dog will only get to do shorter runs with me in the summer and I'll practice doing my long runs w/o the drive & drop- which means I'll need to carry my water/gatorade. I also hate having to re-drive the route just to pick up after myself.

3. I'd rather have my water with me during a race so I have access to it when I need it vs. waiting for the scheduled stopping points. I'm pretty slow, so by the time I get to the aid stations, most of the pack has already passed through and I dont feel as bad about it if I have to ask for a refill.

4. I sweat... horribly... to the point where I gross myself out... even when its cold out. I did a dance with electrolyte imbalance during a long run once last summer. I never want to go through that again! Besides, I made the mistake of talking to Nurse Mom about it. She yelled at me (from 3.5hrs away!) and made me promise to carry a water bottle and electrolyte tablets from then on... and you dont break promises to Mama!

I may still be carrying around those last 10 stubborn pounds of baby weight, but of all the people who will judge me on the jiggling butt and thighs under my running tights- how many of THEM can run 26.2 miles?!

I run with the same cambelbak that I use for my long runs in training. I only put as much water in it as i intend to drink. I think the insignificant amount that you are slowed down by carrying 48oz of water is less than the amount that you get slowed down at aid/water stations during a busy stop.

No. When I started running marathons very few had aid stations so we did without. AAU rules restricted their frequency to no more frequently than every 3 miles anyway. Carrying water was unheard of. Since aid stations became a standard they've been close enough together that carrying water wasn't needed.

There is a fascinating thing you can see at nearly every race. Slower runners load themselves down with 8 tons of crap they "must" have in order to run. Faster runners go as minimal as they can. Look at the first couple of corrals of any major marathon and I doubt you'll see a single handheld or belt and you sure as hell won't see a backpack.

Short Term Goal - 17:59 5K

Medium Term Goal - 2:54:59 marathon

Long Term Goal - To have been a runner half my life (I started at age 45)

I fill two 1/2 galloun milk jugs with water and freeze them.Attach them with bungee courds to an old leather belt I wear around my waste.By the mid point of my marathon, about 100 minutes, the ice has mostly melted but is still quite cold and ready to consume as needed.

There is a fascinating thing you can see at nearly every race. Slower runners load themselves down with 8 tons of crap they "must" have in order to run. Faster runners go as minimal as they can. Look at the first couple of corrals of any major marathon and I doubt you'll see a single handheld or belt and you sure as hell won't see a backpack.

Not sure if my Chicago B corral seeding or my Boston Wave 1 Corral 8 count but if they do you would have seen me there with a handheld.

If they don't I'll work on getting faster so I can move up, and I'll still be carrying a handheld....

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"But the from way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it." - Rafiki